Swimming pool construction



y 1967 E. H. SHIELDS SWIMMING POOL CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 30, 1964 .E'qgene H. Shields INVENTOR.

BY YP- WW ATTORNEy y 1967 E. H. SHIELDS 3,317,927 I SWIMMING FOUL CONSTRUCTION Filed OOt. so, 1964 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I A I Eugene H. Sbields INVENTOR.

flTTORNEY v a: M I

United States Fatetit Ofifice 3,317,927 Patented May a, 1967 3,317,927 SWIMMING POOL CONSTRUCTION Eugene H. Shields, 45 Hartman Drive, Hamilton Square, NJ. 08690 Filed Oct. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 407,815 14 Claims. (Cl. 4172) This invention relates to swimming pool constructions of the type including a wall enclosure and a flexible sheet of vinyl or other waterproof material suspended from the upper edge of the wall and resting on a smooth sand bottom of the desired contour for containing water.

Such structures may be formed of relatively short rectangular frames having pairs of horizontally spaced, vertically extending wooden posts or studs covered on the inside by asbestos or wooden panels to form a wall enclosing the perimeter of the pool. In such structures the straight portions of the wall are easily formed by simply assembling the frames or panels in end to end contact. However, for pools of oval shape or having portions curving either inwardly or outwardly, the wall sections of the type mentioned must be assembled along a line pattern.

To overcome the disadvantages of installing wooden frames of the character referred to there have been devised mated integral panels cast or otherwise formed from metal, concrete or other rigid material in which the opposite end surfaces of the panels for the curving portions of the wall are inclined in relation to the wall portions instead of at right angles, as in a frame having rectangular wooden studs at its ends.

Although such mated integral panels will form any desired number of wall constructions of a single shape and size, they have the great disadvantage that builders of swimming pool constructions must carry stocks of panels or patterns for panels having end surfaces at different angles to enable them to build swimming pools of various designs and sizes, thereby greatly increasing the cost of the pool structures.

Therefore, one of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a swimming pool construction comprising rectangular frames or :panels having flat end surfaces at right angles to their vertical wall portions, with inexpensive and positive means in cooperation with the flat surfaces referred to whereby swimming pool constructions may be made with wall portions in various general curvatures and sizes, and with no variation in the rectangular frames, irrespective of whether they are made wholly or partially from wood, metal, concrete or other material.

This invention has particular advantages in the construction of swimming pool wall enclosures in which the rectangular frames include wooden vertical studs of rectangular wooden material such, for example, as 2" x 3 or 2 x 4" lumber, and having flat end surfaces.

Accordingly, one of the more specific objects of the present invention is to provide a swimming pool construction including a plurality of rectangular frames comprising wooden top and bottom members connected by vertically extending studs of rectangular cross-sectional shape or, at least, having flat outer end surfaces at right angles to the top and bottom members, in which the opposed flat surfaces are in flat contact in the straight portions of a wall, and in the curving portions the opposed pairs of frames are arranged and maintained in the curving relation by special shims of tapered or V cross-sectional shape, made of plastic, metal, wood or other suitable material, inserted between the flat end surfaces of opposed pairs of frames forming the curving portion of the wall, and secured thereto by bolts inserted through the studs and shims, or by other suitable means.

These shims, being very inexpensive, can be made with various degrees of taper to form curving wall enclosures of any desired general curvature and size with uniform rectangular frames having their'end surfaces at right angles to the top and bottom frame members, requiring variations in the frames carried in stock only to accommodate different heights of wall and with shorter frames for sharply curving portions of the enclosure. With this improvement, a builder by keeping a limited stock of wooden frames and shims in various degrees of taper is equipped to build swimming pool Wall enclosures of various straight and curving formations and sizes at a substantially lower cost than has heretofore been possible. Moreover, the shi-ms which-extend from top to bottom of the frames, by filling the tapered space between the opposed studs, render the wall construction more solid and stronger, as well as excluding moisture from between the ends of the frames.

The frames described are covered on the inside by sheets of cement asbestos, plywood or other suitable material to form the Wall panels. To finish the top of the wall construction, suitable coping members are mounted on the top frame members, which are provided with means for detachable engagement with the flexible Waterproof sheet below the coping members in a manner which facilitates the attachment of the flexible sheet to the inner edge of the top frame member and its detachment from said members without disturbing the coping members.

Protective sheet elements may be interposed between the wall panels and the flexible waterproof sheet to protect it from interruptions in the wall surfaces, such as nail heads, roughened surfaces and the like. The sheet elements may be in the form of large sheets covering the wall surfaces below the top frame members, or consisting of plastic strips spanning the rows of nail heads at the joints between the panels.

All wood-en members or parts of the swimming pool construction may be treated with a wood preservative substance to protect them against corrosion or decay from the effects of moisture or soil conditions and thereby greatly increase the durability of the installations.

As previously mentioned, the rectangular frames may be made of metal, concrete or other firm material in integral form and the shims inserted between the ends of the frames to arrange and maintain them in curving relation in the same manner as with wooden frames.

Other objects and advantages of my improved swimming pool construction will be apparent or pointed out in the following specification in which reference is directed to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, and in which,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of rectangular wooden frames arranged in inwardly curving relation in accordance with one form of my invention and showing one form of the tapered or wedge-like shim shown in assembled position;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but including the wall panels and the means for detach-able engagement with the flexible waterproof sheet for containing water;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but including the flashings on the top frame members to which the coping members are attached;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one of the wooden frames shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one form of the tapered shim shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another form of the tapered shim;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3, but including the coping members;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged end view of the construction shown in FIG. 7, partly broken away;

FIG. 9 is a detail section taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 8 showing the manner of function of one form of tapered or wedge-like shim;

FIG. 10 is a detail section similar to FIG. 9, but showing another form of shim, as also shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 9, but showing the shim converging from between a pair of wall panels into the space between the opposed ends of adjacent wall frames; and

FIG. 12 is a detail sectional view showing another form of tapered shim inserted between the ends of integral frames of metal, concrete or other firm material.

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals designate like parts in the several views, the form of my improved swimming pool construction illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 11 includes a plurality of frames, designated generally by the numeral 10, each of which comprises a wooden top member 12 and a bottom member 14 connected by vertical wooden studs 16 of rectangular cross-sectional shape such, for example, as 2 x 3" lumber, and covered on the inside by wall panels 18 of cement asbestos, plywood or other suitable material nailed or otherwise fixedly attached to the frames. The bottom frame members are provided with openings for the insertion therethrough of ground anchoring rods 17, which may be made of metal, plastic or other suitable material. The panels 18 may be in the form of integral sheets, such as cement asbestos, plywood or the like, or tongue and groove boards.

As shown more clearly in FIG. 9 in the formation of an inwardly curving portion of a wall enclosure the frames 10 are arranged and maintained in such formation by means of shims 20 of tapered, V or Wedge-like cross-sectional shape, inserted between the opposed flat surfaces of the studs 16, with the shims extending in converging relation toward the wall panels 18, and secured in fixed relation by bolts 22 extending transversely through the studs and shims and held by nuts 24. Tapered washers 25 may be inserted between the studs 16 and the bolt heads and the nuts 24. As shown, the tapered edges of the shims, which may be made of plastic, wood or other suitable firm material, and extend from top to bottom of the studs, may project into the divergent spaces between the ends of the wall panels 18, thereby excluding moisture from the spaces and rendering the wall more solid.

The tapered shims 20 may be made of greater overall thickness, as indicated at 20a in FIG. 10 thereby providing flat end surfaces 20-h for abutment against the end portions of the wall panels 18, which project beyond the studs 16. Shims of this form may also have tapered extensions ZtB-c which project into the spaces between the ends of the wall panels in the same manner as the tapered ends of the shims 20, shown in FIG. 9.

When a portion of the wall enclosure bulges inwardly, as shown in FIG. 11, the shims 20 extend from their thicker ends in converging relation between the opposed ends of the wall panels 18 and thence between the opposed surfaces of the studs 16. Otherwise, the shims function in the same manner as shown in FIG. 9.

The inner edge portions of the top frame members 12 are rabbeted to form continuous horizontal surfaces 26 (FIGS. 1, 6 and 8) on which are mounted conventional plastic elements 28 having inwardly open resilient jaws 30 and rearwardly extending flanges 32 which are secured to the surfaces 26 by nails 34, or other suitable means. A flexible sheet 36 of vinyl or other suitable waterproof material is formed at its upper edge with a thickened portion 38 which is insertable from the inside of the enclosure between the jaws 30 to support the sheet within the wall enclosure for containing water for the pool. The sheet may be detached from the jaws St) for replacement with a new sheet by merely Withdrawing the portion 38 from between the jaws inwardly of the wall enclosure.

Mounted on the top surfaces of the top frame members 12 which are substantially greater in width than the bottom members 14 and assembled in end to end relation by mitered joints or the like, are thin metal flashings 40, nailed or otherwise attached to the top members and on which fiat bottomed coping members 42 are mounted and fixedly attached thereto by cementitious material 44 (FIG. 8) such as an epoxy, or the like, so that the top surfaces of the coping members, which may be made of concrete, plastic, wood or other suitable material, are not marred by the fastening means. The coping members also may be mitered to form flat abutting end surfaces. The bottom surfaces of the coping members he above the sheet supporting elements 28 and are not disturbed by the insertion of the flexible sheet between or detachment from the jaws 30.

As a protection of the flexible sheet 36 from interruptions in the surfaces of the wall panels 18, such as nail heads, roughened areas and the like, plastic strips 46 may be adhesively attached to the panels spanning the joints between the opposed ends of the panels, as shown in FIGS. 2, 8 and 9, or a large sheet of paper or other suitable material 48 may be interposed between the panels and the flexible sheet 36 as shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12.

The frames or panels 10a shown in FIG. 12 may be formed with integral vertical end supports 16a, instead of the studs 16, connecting the integral horizontal wall portions 18-11, instead of separate panels 18, and having outwardly projecting bottom portions 14-a and top portions (not shown) corresponding to the top members 12, all formed integrally of metal, concrete or other suitable material with the opposed end surfaces of the supports 16-a in right angular relation with the Wall portions 18-a. As shown in FIG. 12 the shims 20-11 may be formed from metal or extruded hardening plastic material in open V shape in cross-section, instead of solid, for fiat contact with the outer surfaces of the integral end supports 16-a, and also with integral wing portions 20e in overlapping contact with the inner surfaces of the supports 16-a. The Wings 20-e are clamped to the supports 16a by the bolts 20 projecting transversely through the wings, the supports 16a and the inner V-shaped portions of the shim 20d and are secured by the nuts 24, as shown. Tapered washers 25 may be inserted between the inner surfaces of the supports 16-a and the bolt heads and the nuts 24. It should be understood that the V-shaped shims 20e may be formed without the wing portions 20, if desired, and may also be made in solid formation either with or without the wing portions ZG-e.

Since lateral ground supports or braces for the wall construction and the ground formation of the swimming pool construction comprise no part of the present invention they are not illustrated or described.

From the foregoing description it will be see that I have provided an economical swimming pool wall enclosure made partially or wholly from wood, metal, concrete or other suitable materials in rectangular units, and in which the curved portions can be formed in various attractive curvatures and sizes by the employment of inexpensive tapered shims between the ends of the rectangular units.

Obviously various changes or modifications of my improved swimming pool construction may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments of my invention shown and described are intended to be illustrative only, and restricted only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a swimming pool construction including a plurality of horizontally extending wall panels connected at their ends to vertical supports having their outer end surfaces in right angular relation with said panels and arranged in end to end relation to form a wall enclosure with, at least, a portion of said wall in generally curving formation; the opposed outer surfaces of the vertical supports being in normally flat contact relation but having shims of tapered cross-sectional shape'inserted between each opposed pair in said curving portion for arranging and maintaining the panels in said curving formation, said shims extending from top to bottom of said supports, a flexible waterproof sheet, and means on the tops of said wall panels for detachable engagement with the edge portion of said sheet for supporting it in suspended relation inside said wall enclosure.

2. A swimming pool construction as in claim 1 in which the tapered shims extend from their thicker edges in converging relation between the opposed surfaces of said end supports toward the inside of said enclosure.

3. A swimming pool construction as in claim 1 in which the tapered shims extend from their thicker edges in converging relation between the opposed surfaces of said end supports toward the outside of said enclosure.

4. In a swimming pool construction including a plurality of rectangular frames comprising top and bottom frame members connected by vertical wooden studs having flat outer end surfaces in right angular relation with said top and bottom frame members, said frames being covered by wall panels and arranged in end to end relation to form a wall enclosure with, at least, a portion of said wall in generally curving formation; the opposed surfaces of the vertical studs in the curving portion being in normally fiat contact relation but having shims of tapered cross-sectional shape inserted between each opposed pair in said curving portion for arranging and maintaining the frames in said curvin-g formation; a flexible waterproof sheet and means on said top frame member for detachable engagement with the edge portion of said sheet for supporting it in suspended relation inside said wall enclosure.

5. A swimming pool construction as in claim 4 in which the tapered shims extend from their thicker edges in converging relation between the opposed surfaces of said vertical studs toward said wall panels.

6. A swimming pool construction as in claim 4 in which the tapered shims extend from their thicker edges in converging relation between the opposed surfaces of said vertical studs and into the divergent spaces between the opposed ends of said panels.

7. A swimming pool const-ruction as in claim 4 in which the tapered shims extend from their thicker edges in converging relation between the opposed surfaces of said vertical studs toward said wall panels and in which said studs are of sufiicient overall thickness to provide flat edge surfaces for abutment against the opposed end portions of said panels.

8. A swimming pool construction as in claim 4 in which the tapered shims extend from their thicker edges in converging relation between the opposed ends of said wall panels and thence between the opposed surfaces of said vertical studs.

9. A swimming pool construction as in claim 4 and intop frame members, said top frame members being provided with means for attaching said coping members thereto in overlying relation therewith.

10. A swimming pool construction as in claim 4 including sheet material between the waterproof sheet and panels, and in which said sheet material consists of strips provided with :adhensive means for attaching them to said panels over interrupted surfaces thereon.

11. A swimming pool construction as in claim 7 in which said shims have tapered extensions converging into the spaces between the opposed ends of said wall panels.

12. In a swimming pool construction including a plurality of rectangular frames comprising top and bottom frame members connected by vertical wooden studs having flat outer end surfaces in right angular relation with said top and bottom frame members, said frames being covered by wall panels and arranged in end to end relation to form a wall enclosure with, at least, a portion of said wall in generally curving formation; the opposed surfaces of the vertical studs in the curving portion being in normally flat contact relation but having shims of tapered cross-sectional shape inserted between each opposed pair for arranging and maintaining the frames in said curving formation; and a flexible waterproof sheet, and means on said top frame members for detachable engagement with the edge portion of said sheet for supporting it in suspended relation inside said wall enclosure, flat metal flashings attached to the tops of said frame members, flat bottomed coping members mounted on said fiashings, and adhesive material between said fiashings and coping members for fixedly attaching said coping members to said fiashings in overlying relation therewith.

13. A swimming pool construction as in claim 12 in which the inner edges of the top frame members abut said wall panels and extend a substantial distance outwardly over the vertical studs and in which the edges of the coping members project beyond the edges of the top frame members.

14. A swimming pool construction as in claim 13 including rabbeted surfaces in the inner edge portions of the top frame members of sufficient depth to seat the means for detachable supporting engagement of the flexible sheet below the bottom surfaces of the coping members to permit the attachment of the upper edge portion of said sheet to said supporting means and the detachment of said sheet therefrom without disturbing said coping members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,089,010 3/1914 Pugh 52-265 1,224,443 5/1917 Brindley 52-245 3,233,251 2/1966 Barrera 4-172 FOREIGN PATENTS 898,460 7/ 1944 France. 1,385,822 12/1964 France.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner. H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A SWIMMING POOL CONSTRUCTION INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING WALL PANELS CONNECTED AT THEIR ENDS TO VERTICAL SUPPORTS HAVING THEIR OUTER END SUR FACES IN RIGHT ANGULAR RELATION WITH SAID PANELS AND ARRANGED IN END TO END RELATION TO FORM A WALL ENCLOSURE WITH, AT LEAST, A PORTION OF SAID WALL IN GENERALLY CURVING FORMATION; THE OPPOSED OUTER SURFACES OF THE VERTICAL SUPPORTS BEING IN NORMALLY FLAT CONTACT RELATION BUT HAVING SHIMS OF TAPERED CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE INSERTED BETWEEN EACH OPPOSED PAIR IN SAID CURVING PORTION FOR ARRANGING AND MAINTAINING THE PANELS IN SAID CURVING FORMATION, SAID 